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Anubian Ka Guardian (CR 22)
ANUBIAN KA GUARDIAN The Anubians were a mythical race of giants that lived within a splendorous paradise, and many consider them to have been the greatest pioneers of magic, as well as perhaps the original, superior stock from which modern humans devolved. Some great calamity reduced their glorious paradise to a hell of black sand, however, and wiped out their entire civilization. Alanthus, the dreaded Lich-Messiah of the Innecrolytes, was long fascinated by the Anubians long before he even learned his first spell of necromancy, having long fantasized about being the descendant of a long-lost Anubian bloodline, despite the fact that he was only half human. Before he ever founded the perverse undead-worshipping society of Nastrandir on the ruins of the Aquellian northfolk society in the frostfell reaches, he set out to find the ebon sands of fabled Anubia, and for forty days and forty nights he forsook even his fledgling undead armies. The horrors he found there almost shattered his soul forever, even for one as inured as an undead diabolist such as himself. The beautiful and proud Anubians were nowhere to be found. Instead, all he found were swarming hordes of Necrophages, hunchbacked and blind, but somehow able to sense -- and hunger for -- the smell of his lingering necromantic corruption. It was a difficult battle, for he was without his still-rudimentary undead hordes. In the end, however, he prevailed over the hideous sub-undead, and his prize was the legendary necropolis of Anubia. The hour was late, however, and many filthy graverobbers or Necrophages had already plundered the richly appointed tombs of the Anubians. Nonetheless, the majority were still intact. It is said that on that day, the first rain in six thousand years fell upon the parched obsidian desert of Anubia. It rained blood and the skies crackled with silent enervation-lightning as he called back the tormented souls of the Anubian dead from the lower planes and infused them into their dessicated corpses. The horror of the lower planes cannot be overestimated. Such was the timelost despair of salvation that even an eternity imprisoned in the withered, leathery shell that ones own body has become was preferable to the endless misery and horror of the demon realms. Alanthus brought forth for them the massive full plate and scythes that would become the trademark equipment of his Nastrandim Thrallhost, that they may arm themselves against those who would seek to defile their tombs. Hollow, save for the writhing swarms of carnivorous scarabs that filled their emptied frames, they taught Alanthus all their fabled secrets of necromancy. A collaboration between the two unlocked the process of spell-stitching, that Alanthus would also use to create the Nastrandim Overlords. As a final token of appreciation, the newly raised Anubian Ka Guardians swore that they would leave their tombs to come to his aid in his hour of greatest need at the ordained day. Anubian Ka Guardian (CR 22) Usually LE Large undead Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Lifesight; Listen +29, Spot +29 Languages ancient Anubian Aura Despair, line of sight Armor Class: 32, touch 8, flat-footed 32 (+10 armor, +15 natural, -1 size, -1 Dex), DR 5/- hp 450 (25 hd) Initiative: +3 Immune undead immunities Saves: Will +20, Reflex +9, Fortitude +10 Speed 30 ft in armor (6 squares) Attack: +36 (+25) slam (1d8+16) plus 5d6 hivenest attack, dessication, mummy rot Full Attack: +37/+32/+27/+22(+24/+19/+14) Masterwork Scythe 2d4+24(+20)/x4 and +31 slam (+20) 1d8+8 plus 5d6 hivenest attack, dessication, mummy rot Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Atk Options mummy rot, hivenest attack, hivenest distraction, dessication, bestow curse, diseased breath, spell-like abilities Special Actions retributive destruction 13d6 Base Atk +22(+12); Grp +45 Abilities: Str 42 (36), Dex 8, Int 6, Wis 18, Cha 15 SQ: Undead traits, +8 turn resistance, SR 17 Feats: Supernatural Transformation (Bestow Curse), Ability Focus (Bestow Curse), Supernatural Transformation (Breath of Contagion), Ability Focus (Breath of Contagion), Ability Focus (Despair), Quicken Spell-Like Ability (Divine Power), Quicken Spell-Like Ability (Divine Favor), Power Attack, Lifesight, Combat Casting Skills: Listen +29, Spot +29, Concentration +18, Knowledge (Religion) +10 Advancement: By character class ---- Despair (Su): At the mere sight of an Anubian Ka Guardian, a Will DC 28 check must be made, or else the victim will be considered fatigued. Breath of Contagion (Su): Once per day, as Mummy Rot, but in a 30 foot cone, and DC is 28. Bestow Curse (Su): Once per day, as the spell, Will DC 28 negates. Mummy Rot (Su): Supernatural disease-slam, Fortitude DC 26, incubation period 1 minute; damage 1d6 Con and 1d6 Dex. Mummy rot continues until the host dies or is cured. Any creature trying to heal the cursed creature must make a DC 20 caster level check, or else the spell is wasted. To eliminate mummy rot, first a break enchantment or remove curse must be cast (with the same check), and then a cure disease. Hivenest Attack (Ex): Any creature struck by an Anubian Ka Guardian's natural weapon attacks also takes damage from the Scarab Beetle Swarm (5d6) that infests it at the end of the Anubian Ka Guardian's turn, as if the Scarab Beetle Swarm had ended its turn occupying the same space as the creature. This also delivers a Dessication attack. Dessication (Ex): Scarab beetles can reduce a victim to nothing in mere seconds. Any living opponent damaged by a scarab beetle swarm must make a Fortitude save (DC 21) or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage. A creature reduced to 0 Constitution by the swarm is consumed completely, leaving behind items that are not organic. Hivenest Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a hivenest attack's damage that begins its turn in a square adjacent to a hivenest monster is nauseated for 1 round. Fort save DC 21 negates. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells while adjacent to a hivenest monster requires a Concentration check (DC 20+spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration require a successful DC 20 Concentration check. Retributive Destruction (Ex): If an Anubian Ka Guardian is destroyed, it explodes in a 30 foot radius burst of negative energy, inflicting 13d6 damage (Reflex DC 15 half). Resolve this before Hivedeath. Hivedeath (Ex): If an Anubian Ka Guardian is destroyed, the monster is destroyed but the Scarab Beetle Swarm that nests within it is released. One Scarab Beetle Swarm is immediately placed in the space previously occupied by the Anubian Ka Guardian. Effects that completely destroy the Anubian Ka Guardian's body (such as disintegrate or implosion) prevent the hivedeath effect. Note: The scarab beetle swarms have the Hive Mind (Ex) effect, giving them intelligence scores of 6, so long as they have at least 1 hit point per hit die remaining (or 15 hp). Verminfriend (Su): If a vermin is about to attack the Anubian Ka Guardian, it may make a Charisma check (DC 20). If successful, the vermin refuses to attack it for 24 hours. Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day Lesser Orb of Acid(85 foot range, +10 ranged touch, 5d8 damage) 2/day Strength of the Grave (250 round duration, touched undead receives 2 temporary HP/hd), Glitterdust. Greater Disrupt Undead (85 foot range, +10 ranged touch, 10d8 damage to undead) 1/day Delay Death (25 rounds, creature touched cannot die of hp damage) Divine Favor (10 rounds, +6 luck bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls) Divine Power (25 rounds, BAB becomes +22, +25 temporary hp, +6 enhancement to Strength) The creature before you is a horrifying giant, standing nine feet tall, encased in spiked, blackened armor and yard after yard of ancient linens. From the eye socket of a handsome gold funeral mask, a beetle darts out, and you notice the monster is swarming with the things. But the worst part is the smell. You would expect something like that to stink like an open grave, but it still smells disturbingly appealing, like a cabinet of spices. It hefts a scythe sized for a human and stares, as if wondering if you will force it to defend its tomb... All that remains of fabled Anubia, Ka Guardians maintain a timeless vigil over their tombs. What is even more horrifying than their current existence is the fact that they have returned from afterlives even worse, and they are unfailingly protective of their necropoli, all that remains of a once proud empire. Though their strength and magical power is but a shadow of what it once was, that shadow is still far more than enough. STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Anubian Ka Guardians employ simple, but extraordinarily lethal, attack routines. Unless advised otherwise, as soon as they can attack in hand to hand, they will employ a Quickened Divine Power. If they can catch multiple targets with it, they will employ their Breath of Contagion. Once able to use full attacks, they fight with their scythes in one hand (functioning as heavy picks for their size) and using slams as a secondary attack. However, as these slams carry Mummy Rot, Bestow Curse, Hivenest Attack, and Dessication, they prefer to use it as their primary attack when charging into melee range. On the second round of combat, they use Divine Favor, giving them +6 to hit and +6 to damage for 10 rounds, and continue to full attack. If taking huge amounts of damage (over half its hit points), it will invoke Delay Death and continue to attack away, hoping a possible ally will heal it before it perishes. Even in death, Ka Guardians provide an area effect healing to their allies, while leaving ravenous hordes of hive minded Scarab Beetles. The Scarab Beetles, having been joined together in Dark Unity by the Lich Messiah long ago, will not normally attack other lawful undead so long as its hive mind is intact, although once reduced to 14 hp or below the Scarab Beetles behave like any other. Their spell-like abilities give them some versatility to harm hostile undead, such as the chaotic Necrophages of the Ruiners, and golems, but this is not their forte. Their Lifesight ability will normally prevent living creatures from benefiting from darkness, invisibility, hide, etc. as it causes them to be perceived as if illuminated with torch-like radiance, which in turn illuminates nearby non-living creatures and objects. Anubian Ka Guardians will usually be encountered in a mixed group, typically with encounter traps and other lawful undead. Category:CR 22 Category:Undead